While the Ceed is competitive in lots of areas and a perfectly decent car, unlike the best rivals, it fails to be outstanding anywhere, and give us a compelling reason to recommend it over the better-handling Ford Focus, the more practical Skoda Octavia, or the more refined and comfortable VW Golf.
Except perhaps PCP finance, where it's right on the money, so if it falls into your monthly budget, we've no doubt the Ceed will serve you well.

Trim:

Even entry-level 2 trim comes with air-con, cruise control, all-round electric windows, automatic lights, a 7.0in touchscreen with smartphone connectivity, 16in alloy wheels and a reversing camera. If you can live without sat-nav, it’s your best bet.

Engine:

This is the only diesel in the range and it comfortably emits the least CO2. While it’ll be cheap to run, outright performance is on a par with the 1.0 petrol, although it’s likely to be more flexible.